UPDATE: Teen was 2012 Daily News Player of the Year

Published: Friday, May 24, 2013 at 08:11 AM.

Collins said at least one other of those companions was a Southwest High School student.

“They got some folks out and started looking for him and found him early this morning,” he said.

Collins said Southwest High School Principal Tim Foster went out to North Topsail late Thursday night.

“He was out on the scene around 9 or 10 o’clock,” Collins said.

Collins confirmed the victim was a senior at Southwest High and a football player.

The district has deployed a team of guidance counselors to the school this morning to help students with their grief, Collins said.

“We have a plan in place. We have a crisis assistance team, a 10 to 12-member team of guidance counselors,” he said. “We deploy the crisis assistance team to the school to help them get through the grieving process.”

An area student who drowned this week is being remembered as a great kid who was a leader among students.

Shakhym Tambu Pershey, a 19-year-old Southwest Onslow High School senior football player, drowned Thursday evening after going missing in the water sometime around 6 p.m. near the Onslow County Beach Access No. 4 on the New River Inlet Road. His body was recovered early Friday morning.

“He was out swimming with some friends, he went missing, they notified emergency management,” said Barry Collins, the assistant superintendent of the Onslow County School System. Collins said at least one of the friends was also a Southwest student.

Witnesses state that they saw Pershey go under the water approximately 100 yards off the shore, according to NTB officials. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Corps’ PEDRO search and rescue helicopter responded to the scene to assist in the search.

Firefighter Chad Walker, with Turkey Creek Fire and Rescue, said Pershey was fighting an undertow and that rescue officials searched until the light was too dim to do so.

Collins said SWO Principal Tim Foster went out to North Topsail late Thursday night.

“Shak was a friend to all, one of those kids you saw interacting with all students,” Foster said. “Shak never met a stranger, always had a smile and was loved by his teachers and coaches and he loved them back. Shak Pershey had the heart of a Stallion.”

Pershey’s body was recovered at approximately 2:15 a.m. Friday morning.

Pershey played football with Emily Prestley’s brother and, she said, he was like another brother to her.

“He was easy to talk to. He was nice, he was never rude,” she said. “When he saw someone getting made fun of he would step up and say, ‘Hey don’t say that.’ That’s just how he was.”

The mood at school Friday, she said, was somber.

“I don’t understand why because he’s a strong guy I was hoping he’d be able to pull himself out and when I found out I just laid on my bed and I couldn’t cry, I couldn’t move,” Prestley said. “…I’ve never heard Southwest be so quiet. It was so depressing. Everyone had their heads down; everyone was crying.”

Southwest Onslow High School Head Football Coach Phil Padgett said Pershey was a role model.

“Great kid, that is the main thing to say, he was a leader in the school,” Padgett said. “He will be missed by the students, coaches, faculty, and everyone that knew him. Led us to a state championship because of his leadership. He will always be remembered as a quality kid who had a smile on his face and love for everyone. One of a kind.”

SWOHS parents Grady and Jamie Thompson said Pershey's death is devastating, especially considering how bright his future promised to be.

"It's hard to swallow considering he was about to graduate, about to go to college," Jamie Thompson said.

Their son played football with Pershey, and Grady Thompson said his death has left a "hole in the hearts" of many.

"Shak was like the king of school," Jamie Thompson said.

Rep. Phil Shepard R-Onslow, learned of Pershey’s death Thursday evening while driving back from Raleigh. Shepard said several members of his congregation at Lighthouse Baptist Church alerted him to the incident.

Shepard told The Daily News Friday that the death of Pershey is "like losing one of our own. The Southwest community is tight.”

Upon his return home, Shepard drove to North Topsail Beach where he was joined by others including Padgett. Shepard, an ardent Stallions’ football program fan, said Pershey was a "fine young man and had accomplished so much.

“It’s times like this that we put our faith and trust in God.”

The school district deployed a team of guidance counselors to the school Friday morning to help students with their grief, Collins said.

“We have a plan in place. We have a crisis assistance team, a 10 to 12-member team of guidance counselors,” he said. “We deploy the crisis assistance team to the school to help them get through the grieving process.”

Collins said the counselors were called in Thursday night and met at the school Friday morning.

“The atmosphere at the school this morning is very quiet and somber with the students,” he said Friday.

The administration will determine on Tuesday morning if the counselors are still needed by the student body, Collins said. The school system also has a crisis management plan in place for the long-term grieving process, Collins said.

Pershey split his time between North Carolina and Oceanside, Calif., where his father, Staff Sgt. Corey Mitchell had been stationed.

Pershey played quarterback and defensive back for the Stallions’ football team. The Daily News honored him as its 2012 player of the year. He led the Stallions to the NCHSAA 1-AA football title that year with a 44-34 win over the defending champion, Swain County.

While Pershey was officially No. 12 on the Southwest roster, Grady Thompson said, he is “No. 1 in everyone’s heart.”

Daily News columnist Mike McHugh contributed to the report.

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Updated at 11:44 a.m.

Southwest High School senior quarterback and defensive back Shak Pershey, 19, who Southwest High School officials have identified as the teen who drowned at North Topsail Beach on their Facebook page, was The Daily News 2012 player of the year. He led the Stallions to the NCHSAA 1-AA football title during the 2011-12 school year, a 44-34 win over defending champion Swain County.

Pershey threw for 1,149 yards and 13 touchdowns, rushed for 929 yards and 18 touchdowns. Also, he intercepted five passes and had 73 tackles while also returning two punts and one kickoff for a touchdown.

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Updated at 11:18 a.m.

Rep. Phil Shepard R-Onslow, became aware of the Southwest student's death Thursday evening while driving back from Raleigh from several members of his congregation at Lighthouse Baptist Church.

Shepard told The Daily News Friday that the death of the student is "like losing one of our own. The Southwest community is tight."

Upon his return home last evening, Shepard drove to North Topsail Beach where he was joined by others including SWOHS head football Coach Phil Padgett. Shepard, an ardent fan of the Stallions' football program, said the teen was a "fine young man and had accomplished so much. It's times like this that we put our faith and trust in God."

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Updated at 11:13 a.m.

School officials say the teen whose body was recovered at North Topsail Beach this morning was at the beach with friends when he went missing.

“He was out swimming at 7 o’clock with some friends, he went missing, they notified emergency management,” said Barry Collins, assistant superintendent of the Onslow County School System.

Collins said at least one other of those companions was a Southwest High School student.

“They got some folks out and started looking for him and found him early this morning,” he said.

Collins said Southwest High School Principal Tim Foster went out to North Topsail late Thursday night.

“He was out on the scene around 9 or 10 o’clock,” Collins said.

Collins confirmed the victim was a senior at Southwest High and a football player.

The district has deployed a team of guidance counselors to the school this morning to help students with their grief, Collins said.

“We have a plan in place. We have a crisis assistance team, a 10 to 12-member team of guidance counselors,” he said. “We deploy the crisis assistance team to the school to help them get through the grieving process.”

Collins said the counselors were called in Thursday night and met at the school Friday morning.

“The atmosphere at the school this morning is very quiet and somber with the students,” he said Friday.

Students who wish to see the counselors can request it from their teachers. They will stay all throughout the day Friday, and the administration will determine Tuesday morning if they are still needed by the student body, Collins confirmed. The school system also had a long-term crisis management plan in place for the long-term grieving process, Collins said.

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Updated at 11:04 a.m.

At approximately 6:10 p.m. Thursday, emergency personnel from North Topsail Beach were dispatched to Onslow County Beach Access No. 4 on New River Inlet Road in reference to a possible drowning, according to information from North Topsail Beach. Witnesses reported that the victim went under the water approximately 100 yards from shore.

Coast Guard assets, as well as the Marine Corps’ PEDRO search and rescue helicopter were called to the scene to assist.

The body of a 19-year-old Onslow County man was subsequently recovered at approximately 2:15 a.m. Friday morning, according to NTB officials.

Area officials have told media that the body of an area student has been recovered after he disappeared in the water off North Topsail Beach.

Officials say a young male went under the water while swimming with friends around 7 p.m. Thursday. A search for the him took place on the water and from the air. His body was recovered at 2:10 a.m. Friday.